A Shadow of Memories
by mysticaldreams
Summary: Strange things are happening:who is the dark figure that mysteriously appears at Durleys house? And what happens when Harry visits his old home in Godrics Hollow for the first time. . .
1. strange happenings

OK everyone this is my first fanfic I have ever written so please be nice to me! Please review cos I need some tips on writing and please tell me if I can improve cos I need to know! Ok thanks, I hope you enjoy this.  
  
~*~ mysticaldreams  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything that relates to hp in the plot all that credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling  
  
Strange happenings: Chapter 1  
  
Harry awoke suddenly, his scar burning on his forehead.  
  
He heard a clash downstairs in the kitchen and shot up like a bullet in his bed but then slowly relaxed thinking Dudley was out for another midnight "snack".  
  
He focused his attention on his scar, he remember this same thing happening before on his 14th birthday, but that time he had woken from a nightmare, this time he couldn't remember having any disturbing dreams, the one thing he did know was that his scar only hurt in the presence of Voldemort. Panic started to rise in his mind as he thought of Voldemort anywhere near.  
  
He shot back to reality when he heard a great snort from Dudley in the room next to him- wait a minute, he thought Dudley was down stairs. He could still hear the thuds in the kitchen but softer now, then as he cautiously peeked through the crack in his door he saw a shadow moving around the lounge room he felt a sickly lurch in his stomach as he made out a thin raggly shape in a black cloak that could not in any way be either his Aunt or Uncle.  
  
Harry acted upon the first thing that came to his mind. He went to his bedside table and took out his wand from the second draw. There was no use waking up the Dursleys, they wouldn't be any help against a dark wizard.  
  
He could run, he could run away, that's what Sirius would want him to do, but even though he hated the Dursleys he couldn't just leave them, no one could be that heartless.  
  
The hair on the back of his neck prickled and he couldn't help feeling so frightened but his conscious got the better of him and he slipped through the door. Harry crouched down and crawled to the wall near the top of the staircase. As he hid in the shadow he looked around and as he saw the hooded person and he started to shake uncontrollably, he remembered the last time he was frightened like this and it was by the exact same figure. He quickly put the thought to the back of his mind.  
  
He stood up as a wave of courage slid through him and he walked out of the shadows so he was at the top of the staircase, the hooded person turned around and as it did Harry's stomach turned over. The man reached for something in his cloak and suddenly........  
  
~*~  
  
Sorry I had to leave it there guys but I need to make up the rest! PLEASE review cos I won't keep writing unless I know someone is reading. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon. 


	2. Answeres on rides

Ok here is the second chapter to my story. I'm sorry it took me so long to write but I suddenly had a spurt of inspiration and wrote a short story on Ron and Hermione, it's called Ron's visit to the hospital wing if you want to check it out. Well here goes, I hope you like it! ~*~mysticaldreams  
  
P.S. Feel free to review! :D  
  
Changes Chapter 2: answers on rides  
  
"Expelliarmus"a deep voice yelled from the shadows, it hit the person in the black cloak and he went flying across the room and crashed into the lounge room wall.  
  
The Dursleys came running out of their bedrooms.  
  
"What in the devils going on here" roared Mr. Dursley, His ice-cold eyes resting on Harry still holding his wand out in front of him in shock.  
  
The mans voice came from the shadows once more and yelled "Obliviate", then telling them to go back to their beds and to forget this even happened. Harry was still in shock but he was sure he knew that voice. The man stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, "Sirius" Harry exclaimed.  
  
The ragged and tattered man stood at the step of the stairs smiling up at Harry.  
  
Harry ran down the stairs and embraced his Godfather in a hug.  
  
"But what are you doing here and what is that"? Harry pointed at the unconscious hooded figure slumped against the wall.  
  
"I don't know" Sirius said,  
  
"Stay there Harry" he said with caution, "I'll go and check him out". Sirius walked over to the figure on the floor, he bent down to check his pulse and then through back the hood he was wearing.  
  
A surely man with tanned and wrinkled skin and a nose that was crooked and looked almost broken had his head flopped on his shoulder and his eyes shut.  
  
"Well there's not much we can do for him Harry" Sirius said.  
  
"This looks like a common burglar to me" he said with relief.  
  
"But still, I think it's best if we get out of here for a while, just to make sure your safe" he added.  
  
Harry was a little bit perplexed at how Sirius had said just to make sure your safe but didn't dwell on it as there were other pressing questions to ask.  
  
"What are we going to do with him" asked Harry?  
  
"We'll have to put a memory charm on him and leave him somewhere, where someone will find him" Sirius said pondering.  
  
"You might want to put go up and put on a jacket Harry, it's quite cool outside" Sirius told Harry.  
  
Harry came down the stairs pulling one of Dudleys old jumpers over his head and stuffing his wand into his pocket.  
  
Sirius used a levitating charm to caring the man out of the house and down the street. He let him fall to the ground with a thump near the post on the corner of the street that read Privet Drive in fancy black writing.  
  
"Now" he said, "I'm afraid we're going to have to use public transport, I apperated so buckbeaks's still at the hideout" he explained.  
  
"I'm going to call the up the Knight Bus Harry, but you'll have to do the talking for me, If anyone saw me they'd all go into a frenzy and kill me on the spot!" he said.  
  
"Where are we going" Harry asked simply? There were so many questions he wanted to ask Sirius but he thought this just wasn't the time yet.  
  
Sirius looked uncomfortable for a while, then looked up at Harry and started to explain.  
  
"Harry I know this is going to be hard for you, and believe me, it would be hard for anyone who has been through everything you have, but I think it's time...........he paused for a while, seeming to contemplate weather he should finish the sentence........I think it's time you saw Godrics Hollow" He said stuttering.  
  
"Oh" Harry said looking at his feat. He honestly couldn't think of anything to say so he just smiled weakly at Serious and said slowly "Ok then".  
  
"You know what to do then" Sirius asked to break the silence,  
  
"On the Knight Bus that is" he added.  
  
"Yeah" said Harry  
  
Sirius pulled the hood on the back of his cloak over his head so that you could only see a shadow of a face.  
  
"I don't think you'll need that" Harry said.  
  
He pulled out the cloth that was hanging slightly out of his pocket and dangled it in front of Sirius.  
  
"James old cloak" he exclaimed with a grin on his face.  
  
"I had a feeling we'd need it" Harry said smiling also.  
  
Sirius draped the invisibility cloak over himself while mumbling something about how he and James had pulled off so many pranks from underneath it.  
  
"Ready" Harry asked.  
  
"Ready" Sirius answered  
  
Harry sent various sparks flying out of the tip of his wand and only had to wait a couple of seconds before a deafening BANG came from the night and a triple Decker, violet bus came whizzing around the corner and stopped right in front of him.  
  
The door to the bus opened with at clang and a conductor in purple robes bounced out and stared talking very quickly.  
  
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the standard witch or-  
  
The conductor looked up at the person who he was talking to and yelled "Arry Potta"  
  
"Oi, Oi Ern, look at this, it's Arry Ern"!  
  
There was a grunt from the steering wheel inside the bus; it seemed that Ernie, the reckless driver of the Knight Bus had dozed off.  
  
"Wha" said Ernie groggily?  
  
"It's Arry potta, you know that time he was tendin to be Neville"  
  
"Oh" said Ernie in surprise.  
  
"You member me" Stan asked Harry brightly?  
  
"Hi Stan" Harry said smiling.  
  
"Oi Ern! He members me" Stan yelled up to Ernie  
  
"That's good Stan, now hurry up, we don't have all night" Ernie yelled back.  
  
Harry, Stan and Sirius climbed up the steps onto the Knight Bus and Stan slammed the doors shut just as Sirius Jumped in. There was a bit of a thud as Sirius got out of the way but Stan didn't notice as the Knight bus was immune to such loud thuds and bangs.  
  
"So, what brings you to the Knight bus this time Arry" Stan asked?  
  
"Ummmmmm........... I'd rather not talk about it" Harry said hesitantly.  
  
"Alright, suit yourself" Stan said annoyed that he didn't get to pry into other peoples business.  
  
"Where d'ya want to go" Ernie asked?  
  
"Ahhhh...Godrics Hollow" Harry said quickly.  
  
"What choo want to go there for" Stan asked suspiciously?  
  
"That place has been broken down for years" He said.  
  
At that moment an elderly witch in pink robes came down from the second level.  
  
"Ern, can we get a move on please, I got a deadline" She said breaking the silence.  
  
"That'll be 15 sickles Harry" Ernie said starting up the bus.  
  
Harry's relief at the interruption turned against him, he hadn't brang any money at all! He fumbled in his pockets but there was nothing there.  
  
Then from behind him there was a clatter on the floor.  
  
Sirius had made it look like Harry had dropped the coins from his pocket.  
  
"Oops"! said Harry earnestly, bending down to pick up the coins.  
  
He handed them to Stan and said "call me when we get there" and walked up to find the third floor of the bus deserted.  
  
"Phew! That was close" Harry said to Sirius.  
  
"I won't take the cloak off Harry, not until we're under cover" Sirius whispered.  
  
"Alright" Harry said.  
  
They both paused in thoughtful silence until Harry couldn't help but ask the question that had been eating at his thoughts.  
  
"Sirius, how did you know I was in trouble" Harry asked curiously?  
  
"hmmmmmm" he said thoughtfully. "Alright I'll tell you" he decided.  
  
"I put an emotions charm on you" he said flatly.  
  
"What"! Harry exclaimed.  
  
"Are you telling me you could feel everything I was feeling" Harry asked disbelievingly.  
  
He was of course thinking about how he felt about Cho.  
  
"No" said Sirius, "I'm not THAT nosy"!  
  
"I made sure I could only feel when you when you scared or in pain, I'm sorry Harry but I had to make sure you were safe" he explained.  
  
"Oh" Harry said in relief.  
  
"But when did you do it" he then asked?  
  
"When you were in the hospital wing after the......." he stopped there, not wanting to bring back any of those horrible memories of the Triwizard Tourmement to Harry, he didn't need them on top of what he was going to see Sirius thought.  
  
"It's alright Sirius" Harry said softly, understanding what Sirius was getting at.  
  
"I'm really tired, I think I'll sleep for a little while" he then said.  
  
With that he leaned against his Godfathers shoulder and dozed off into a light sleep.  
  
Well how was that! I made sure this chapter was bigger then the first one. I'd just like to say thanks to my two reviewers:  
  
LJ Brown: Thanks, I'll try and get the next chapter up asap!  
  
Themidnightangel: thanks for the advice it was really helpful! I've read your story (just too many assumptions) and I thought it was great!  
  
I hope you keep reading and I hope that if you have read this far that you will review!  
  
~*~mysticaldreams 


	3. Courage and Support

Hi again everyone! I'm getting a little disappointed as I've only got 2 reviews and this is my third chapter so even if you have already reviewed please, please, PLEASE review again so I know that someone is reading. Tell everyone you like about my fanfic and I was thinking of changing the title of it to 'A shadow of memories' because 'Changes' sounds a bit boring, what do you think? Hope you like it! ~*~mysticaldreams  
  
Chapter 3: Courage and Support.  
  
Harry awoke to a loud BANG!  
  
He sat bolt upright, almost taking the invisibility cloak off Sirius.  
  
There was a grunt from beside him, followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.  
  
"Shhhh" Harry whispered to Sirius.  
  
Stan popped his head around the entrance door,  
  
"Where here" he said with a bit of fear in his voice.  
  
Harry walked down to the driver's side.  
  
"You sure you'll be alright by yourself"? Ernie asked.  
  
"Ere yes" said Harry making sure he didn't make eye contact.  
  
He looked out the window, the headlights of the bus shone upon the broken down houses and ash littered streets.  
  
Harry now understood the fear in Stan's voice, the sight of Godrics Hollow was enough to scare a giant.  
  
Harry was glad to have Sirius with him and felt comfort at knowing he was there.  
  
"I'm sorry Arry, I won't let you go out there" Stan burst out.  
  
"It's too dangerous, and Ern, imagine what Fudge would do to us if Arry got hurt! He exclaimed, barring the doors with his arms spread out.  
  
"I'm sorry too" said Harry doubtfully, "but I have to do this Stan".  
  
Harry pointed his wand at Stan and said "Obliviate" and then he quickly turned to Ernie and did the same thing.  
  
Harry then told them to keep driving and go on with their regular business and forget that Harry was even there.  
  
Harry opened the doors of the bus and stepped out into the dark and chilly night, with Sirius by his side.  
  
The Knight Bus gave one last Bang and vanished into the night.  
  
Harry murmured "Lumos" and a small ball of light hovered around the tip of his wand.  
  
Sirius through off the invisibility cloak and was just about to compliment Harry on his memory charm when he started to take in his surroundings.  
  
He remembered this place all to well.  
  
On one side, half the street had been blown apart.  
  
He remembered that horrible day when Wormtail had killed the muggles and wizard, when he had betrayed the potters and sent them to their deaths.  
  
Sirius's face went chalk white, and Harry's didn't look much better.  
  
"This is where it happened, isn't it"? Harry asked while gulping the lump in his throat.  
  
"Yes" said Sirius, "this is where wormtail betrayed us".  
  
Sirius gripped Harry on the shoulder in reassurance and guided him down the desolate streets.  
As Harry walked down the road he could just picture the scene of people screaming and running as bits of houses and rubble flew everywhere in the feud of Peter and Sirius, then the flashes of green light and people falling to the ground, blasted against the rubble.  
  
Then suddenly very clearly, a high pitched scream filled Harry's head. It didn't cease.  
  
Harry stopped and shuddered.  
  
"Are you alright Harry"? Sirius asked worried.  
  
"I'm fine" Harry lied, trying to ignore the constant screaming.  
  
Then an ice-cold shiver ran down his spine as he realized what had caused his mothers screaming to fill his ears last time.  
  
Harry stopped again, this time as pale as a ghost, thinking of dementors.  
  
"Harry you don't have to do this, we can go back" Sirius said soothingly.  
  
"No it's alright, I'm fine, I want to keep going" He said bracing his fear and moving on.  
  
Sirius looked at him with worry in his eyes, though they kept on walking.  
  
Finally, Sirius stopped in front of a slightly broken down, two story house.  
  
The only humongous damage that had been done to it was half of its roof had been blown off but other than that, it surprisingly was still standing well.  
  
Sirius slowly picked a way through the tangle of dead plants to the front door.  
  
There they both stood, not daring to make a move.  
  
Harry examined the door.  
  
It was a dark redish color, wooden and looked like it had been held strong for many years by spells and enchantments.  
  
There, on the brass handle of the door, was melded the face of a lion, not fearsome looking, but almost kindly, if that was possible.  
  
Harry stood there for a moment longer, nervous and frightened at the same time.  
  
Then, as he touched the molded door knob, a wave of courage swept over him and so he pushed the door open and inside revealed........  
Well that's it for that chapter. I know it was a bit boring but I promise the next one will be more interesting. This chapter was supposed to be a long one but I decided to make it smaller. I hope you are ok with the time spaces in between the chapters and I hope they don't get longer cos I hate it when you have to wait ages for the author to put up the next chapter! I should probably stop babbling and get on with my homework so I can finish get a good start on chapter 4. I hope you all keep reading and reviewing! 


	4. awaking memories

URGENT! Next chapter I will be changing the title to A Shadow of Memories. So please keep that in mind next time you go to find my story.  
  
Ok this is chapter four! I must say that I'm very proud of this chapter because it is the longest one I have written yet. This chapter didn't get uploaded for a while cos I ended up righting a little bit for later on in the story because the moment just caught me! I'd just like to say thanks to themidnightangel for her 2 new reviews, thank you so much for sticking with my story, I really appreciate it. PLEASE review if you are reading this cos it will mean a lot to me and I will praise u and review your fanfic if u have one. ~*~ mysticaldreams  
  
Chapter 4: Awaking memories  
  
.....A dusty old hallway lay in front of Harry's eyes.  
  
He stepped onto the floorboards, they were covered in several layers of dust carpet and bits of jip rock were scattered everywhere.  
  
There was a small broken table propped against one of the walls and underneath it a picture was lying in a wooden frame.  
  
The glass that protected the photo was cracked and the photo was torn at the corner.  
  
Harry bent down and picked it up delicately.  
  
There were two people in the picture, a man and a woman, they were both smiling warmly up at him, the man had unmistakable black untamed hair and the woman blew a kiss at him, her green eyes sparkling.  
  
Sirius placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and said sadly "they loved you very much Harry".  
  
With that he moved to an opening and stood with his hands on his hips and his feet spread apart.  
  
He was trying to be strong, for Harry's sake.  
  
He hadn't been to this place since the young boy had defeated the Dark Lord and the two most best of friends he had ever had were murdered.  
  
He stood there, pondering for a while until his thoughts were shattered by a thump and groan from upstairs.  
  
Harry quickly pocketed the photo he had been staring at of his mother and father and ran over to Sirius.  
  
"What was that" he asked?  
  
"I'll go up and check" Sirius said.  
  
Harry walked through the living room and up the stairs after Sirius.  
  
He stopped in front of one of three rooms and signaled for Harry to wait.  
  
He walked into the room slowly, but with ease.  
  
Harry then heard a cry, then a laugh of joy.  
  
He ran into the room and there, standing before him was no other then Remus Lupin.  
  
"Professor Lupin" Harry cried.  
  
"Oh Harry don't call me that, it sounds so old fashioned, just call me Remus" he said simply, grinning brightly.  
  
Harry and Sirius grinned back.  
  
"But how did you get here? And how did you know we'd be here?" Harry asked confused.  
  
"I apparated of course"  
  
"And you were right on time" said Sirius.  
  
"I invited him Harry, thought we needed some company, it'll give us a chance to catch up"!  
  
Harry looked around the room, gazing here and there.  
  
"Whose room was this" he asked?  
  
"Oh, this was the spare room" Sirius said.  
  
"More like the junk room" Remus put in.  
  
Harry could see that, there was rubble everywhere but even if it was to be cleaned up there would still be boxes and stuff filling every bit of the floor space.  
  
"Sirius believed he needed to keep everything, and sadly his own house got so full up with his junk he had to ask Lilly and James if he could keep it all here".  
  
"It was a hobby" Sirius said innocently.  
  
Remus reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a bundle of chocolate frog cards that looked ancient. Remus's eyebrows rose as he looked at the cards and then to Sirius.  
  
"What? They were my great grandfathers, how could I throw them away?" Sirius said with all sincerity.  
  
"Hoarder" Remus said under his breath as he shook his head.  
  
Sirius and Remus then went into an argument about a flowered vase that his mother had told him to hide so his father wouldn't get angry at her for buying something so expensive.  
  
"It was my duty to keep that safe for her and I've become rather attached to it"  
  
"Yeah that and everything else in the room" Remus said.  
  
Harry had never seen Sirius like this, it was like he was 15 again, he looked so much younger and there was a sparkle in his eyes that had never been there before.  
  
Harry walked into a room that was a short way down the hall and on the other side of the staircase.  
  
This room had a double bed in it and was a lot more damaged then the rest of the house.  
  
He picked his way through the rubble and moth eaten pieces of cloth.  
  
Burnt pieces of parchment lay scattered around the room and the curtain in the window ripped and flapped in the chilled night breeze. Harry thought it looked kind of spooky but was determined to find out as much as he could about his parents from this room that was most likely theirs.  
  
He ran his fingers along a broken oak dressing table that was propped up against the wall, at the very moment he touched it a flash of green light filled his eyes, followed by a scream and then a shout that he could recognize as his own name and, there was a loud CRACK and then it all ended with another flash of blue light.  
  
Harry withdrew his hand from the wood quickly and backed away from the dresser.  
  
He knew what that was, it was his parents.  
  
He massaged his head, trying to calm himself from the shock.  
  
Gathering courage again he touched the rusted, brass handle of a draw connected to the dresser and pulled it open. The whole draw fell out and landed with a thump and crack splitting the wood and scattering the contents all over the floor.  
  
Harry sifted through the many pieces of parchment, many of them were singed in places and the ink was spilled over them. They looked like most of them were reminders or letters from the ministry of magic, others were old photos of friends and it looked like some were of family too, as some of the men in the pictures had Harry and James's trait in hair.  
  
There was one object that stood out against the others, it wasn't burnt or rusted, it was pure silver.  
  
The silver chain sparkled at him as he picked it up carefully. As he held the chain between his fingers he examined it closely. There was a white flower hanging as a pendant on the chain, Harry didn't know much about flowers but it was obvious that this was a lily, because entwined in the petals was a beautifully shaped L.  
  
Harry fingered the lily lovingly, thinking of his mother, who had most likely owned it. He clipped the chain around his neck and put it under his shirt, he needed to keep it safe, he had a feeling his mother would want it to be kept safe. As the pendant touched his skin he had a vision.  
  
A man handed the necklace to Lilly and she grinned and put it around her neck. She then kissed him on the cheek and held his hand.  
  
Harry snapped back to reality as he heard laughs coming from the spare room.  
  
Harry looked around the room at the bend picture frames and peeled wallpaper until something suddenly caught his eye. On the wall there was a slight outline of a golden square. He walked up to the wall and placed his hand inside the outlines. The square moved out of the wall and moved with a loud 'thud' onto the ground.  
  
Sirius and Remus appeared at the doorway.  
  
"What's that"? Asked Sirius  
  
"I don't know" Harry said rather perplexed, "I just touched it and it came out of the wall".  
  
"I don't remember seeing any boxes in the walls before, but hey, this was the house of a Marauder, anything could be hidden in it" Sirius said practically.  
  
"Well let's see what's in it" Remus said brightly.  
  
Harry opened the lid of the dusty brick box and inside revealed and envelope with the name Harry written across it in neat blue ink. Harry picked the envelope up and slowly turned it over to found the back stamped with a waxed P imprint. He opened with some prompting from Sirius and as he pulled the piece of parchment out, gazed at the length at it. His eyes moved straight down to see who it was signed by.  
  
Remus and Sirius lent over his shoulder, also curious of whom it was composed by.  
  
Sirius swore under his breath as their eyes rested on the signatures of Lilly and James.  
  
There was a shocked stunned silence for awhile while they slowly read what the letter had to say.  
  
Dear Harry I was hoping that you would never have to read this letter but I had to write it, just in case anything happened to us.  
  
By now you are probably aware of the existence of a powerful dark wizard called Voldemort, though I do not know if he is still living or dead at this moment while you are reading this letter.  
  
It is very disturbing to be talking about your mother and my death (and seems that it has happened) but it had to be done, considering the spot we have been placed in.  
  
I do not know if you have already been told this Harry but your mother and I were secret Aurors that no one new about but the minister of magic and a group of experienced Aurors that we would work with. This group of Aurors and ourselves were given a very important and dangerous task, we would be the ones to take out Voldemort himself and hopefully succeed. I can only hope that we have done so.  
  
It was a great risk on your and our lives, but we had to Harry, Voldemort killed many people and was in risk of taking over the wizarding world and, after some time the muggle world too.  
  
I want you to understand, Harry that it wasn't an easy decision to make, joining the team to kill Voldemort. We were going to refuse at first, not being able to bear putting you into danger, but I'm sure you will understand that we had to help our people, the wizarding that is us.  
  
I want you to know that we love you Harry, more than anything in the world and that we are very sorry to have to put you through this pain. We both hope that you are living a wonderful life with your godfather; Sirius and that Remus and Peter are there too, keeping an eye on you while you're not at Hogwarts, learning all the wondrous things. I'm sure you're making many friends and getting into lots of mischief. Your mother is looking over my shoulder, slightly frowning and hoping that you don't get up to too much mischief.  
  
Remember, Harry that we will always love you and will always be with you and hope that you are growing to be the loyal and brave boy that we brought you up to be.  
  
Love always, your mother and father, James and Lilly.  
  
Tears welled into Harry's eyes and he turned his head away as he finished the letter. He didn't want Sirius or Remus to see him like this. After what he had seen of his parents a couple of months he had been able to visualize them as alive but now, reading this letter he had come back to reality, realizing that they could never live again.  
  
He walked over to the window on the other side of the room, the letter still clutched in his hand. He placed his hands on the window sill, his head bent against his chest and long black fringe flopping over his eyes.  
  
He couldn't bear the grief of knowing his parents were killed by the very person that they were trying to defeat, and didn't succeed.  
  
His hand clutched the necklace he was wearing and the other went straight to his pocket, groping for his fathers invisibility cloak. Sirius came up behind him and placed the cloak into his hand, giving his Godson a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before leaving him to think things over.  
  
Harry stood there for a while, silently listening while Remus and Sirius tried to work out how the box had gotten into the wall, and how Harry had found it.  
  
As Harry ran his fingers through his already ruffled hair, they stopped on his scar, tracing the lightning bolt that had left from the dark lord.  
  
Suddenly a burning hatred ran all the way through his body.  
  
Harry's parents were dead because of Voldemort and many families split apart, how could one person be so heartless and thirst for so much power? Why wasn't I brave enough to kill him while I had the chance? Harry thought furiously to himself.  
  
He clutched the window sill even harder now and the damp wood crumbled under his grip.  
  
He looked out of the open window at the stars twinkling at him. A cool breeze played across his face, calming him down. It was so quiet, but very peaceful, he remembered when he had looked at the stars like this, his very first night at Hogwarts and as he took a deep breath the anger that had filled him went away. He left his thoughts there; though how ever hard he tried he could not just make them go away fully. He quickly brushed away his tears, though the despair he was feeling was still written all over his face. He turned around and walked back over to where his two companions were standing.  
  
"You alright"? Remus asked.  
  
Harry gave a weak smile and nodded slightly, not sure himself.  
  
"Well I think there must have been a sensing charm on the box, so when Lilly and James died the box would sense it, therefore show itself because of the charm that has been placed on it" said Remus.  
  
"Then how come Harry is the only one that can see the hole in the wall and the outline of the box"?  
  
"Hmmmmm... It's possible that they put a recognizing charm on it so it was only visible to Harry and when they died".  
  
"Good old Lilly, I bet that was her work, all that time in the Library paid off" Sirius said with a small smile.  
  
Suddenly a questin popped into Harry's head and without hesitation he blurted out "Did you know that my mum and dad were Aurors"?  
  
Sirius and Remus looked at him for a moment, stunned at the sudden burst of curiosity, until finally Sirius said uncomfortably "Well yes, but we weren't supposed to".  
  
"James told us, but is the ministry found out that he did then we'd all have gotten punished" Remus explained fidgeting a little.  
  
"Do you know any of the other people who were to help them take out Voldemort"?  
  
"Well yes" Sirius said "But you don't need to know that" he added quickly.  
  
"Please tell me, I'd like to know"  
  
"Alright" said Sirius sighing, "there was Moody, of course, the Flinders, Arabella Figg, the Glutons and the Longbottoms, there were many more but they are the only ones I can remember".  
  
Harry didn't hear what Sirius had said last, he was too busy thinking of poor Neville and started to curse himself for being so self-centered and thought how terrible it would be if his parents were insane.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next couple of hours they spent searching through old boxes and draws of things until dawn. Sirius looked out the window and exclaimed about how they must get going otherwise the Dursleys would wake up and get a rude shock, thinking that Harry had run away.  
  
"How are we getting back"? Harry asked.  
  
"We'll have to go by floo powder" Remus said grimly.  
  
"Is the Dursleys's fireplace hooked up to the system"?  
  
"Um I think so because Mr. Weasley hooked it up by the ministry so they could come and pick me up last summer to go to their place" Harry said, smiling slightly at the memory.  
  
"Well we can give it a try at least, we'll only end up somewhere totally different if it's not" Remus said smiling.  
  
"I think it's boarded up though" Harry said thoughtfully.  
  
"Oh, well that doesn't matter, we can just blast it out of the way" Sirius said with a cheeky grin.  
  
Ok everyone, that's it for that chapter and man am I glad it is up! It took me ages to write it and I'm hoping that it wasn't too long a wait. I'd also like to say thanks to my new reviewer crazy-chick (hey livi) and please keep reading cos it's gonna get to Hogwarts soon. Thanks ~*~mysticaldreams  
  
URGENT: Next chapter I will be changing the title to A Shadow of Memories. So please keep that in mind next time you go to find my story. 


	5. Clever scheme

URGENT! I just figured out that when the 5th Harry Potter book does come out I'm gonna have to change this fanfic to be their sixth year at Hogwarts, SO ANNOYING!(no offence to J.K. Rowling cos I have been waiting for it to come out for AGES but the fact of changing my fanfic is annoying) I started this fanfic as the 5th year but its gonna all change in the actual 5th book and there is no way of I'm going to have this fanfic finished before it comes out! So I'm just gonna have to wait and see what happens in the 5th book and I'll have to change some stuff around. Oh yeah, and I have now officially changed the title to a shadow of dreams.  
  
Ok everyone; this is chapter 5, YAY! I hope you like it! More thanks to themidnightangel, my #1 reviewer, but I would like to praise someone else too, so PLEASE review cos that is what makes me write better and quicker. Thanks!  
  
~*~mysticaldreams  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Harry, Remus and Sirius arrived at the Dursley's just before sunrise, thankfully without anything but soot covered clothes.  
  
After a last goodbye to the house, Harry and Remus stepped into the old fireplace and flew through the chimney connections (They thought it best if Sirius apparated, since it would be a great shock if the most wanted man in the criminal world was to pop out of someone's fireplace). Harry was a bit nervous at first, thinking of his first travel by floo powder, but when they arrived at the Dursley's still boarded up fireplace he had birds flapping in his stomach.  
  
Sirius helped them get the board off the fireplace, trying not to make too much noise, but the board ended up landing on the floor with a loud thump! They all strained to hear if there was going to be any reaction, but other then a humungous snort coming from upstairs there was nothing more then silence. They all breathed a sigh of relief and, after Sirius had exclaimed he was truly famished, trotted off to the kitchen.  
  
Remus put a silencing charm on the room as Sirius clattered around, trying to find the right sized pan to fry and egg on. He had a grave look on his face, obviously thinking about something, but it was definitely clear to Harry that he was deep in thought when Sirius cracked the egg on the edge of the bench and kept pounding it. Oozing amounts of yolk dripped off the cupboard and onto the floor but neither Remus nor Harry did anything to stop this; they just sat there watching him, half in a daze, Remus with his favorite eyebrows raised look on.  
  
When Sirius had finally realized what he was doing he turned slightly pink and gave Remus an irritated look back.  
  
"I hate it how you look at me like that" he said scowling.  
  
"That, my friend is the irreplaceable look that I can only give to you, a cross between amusement and pity at you pathetic behavior" Remus said smiling.  
  
Despite Harry depressed feeling he had to laugh at this, while Sirius went back to his cooking in silence.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
By the time they had finished their breakfast (the best meal Harry had, had in days!) it was almost 6:00 and Harry dreaded the fact that he knew Remus and Sirius would have to leave soon as the Dursley's got up at 7, and he would be left to slave away under their instructions, miserable again.  
  
They all sat in silence for a while, pondering over the nights events.  
  
"Can't I go with you"? Harry asked softly looking at both Sirius and Remus.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry, it's just not safe" Sirius said sighing, "and we need to do work for Dumbledore, we need to contact the witches and wizards that are still very faithful to him".  
  
"Dumbledore wants you to stay here for a reason Harry; he's not doing it to annoy you"! Remus put in.  
  
"I thought it was because they were the only family I had left" Harry said, his eyes facing down on his lap.  
  
Then suddenly a memory arose in his mind, afresh, it was like he was being forced back in time. Harry was once more propped against Tom Riddles grave, mist all around him, a chill running down his spine as he made out the ring of death eaters in their dark, hooded cloaks, then, just then he heard the high pitched screeching voice that he hoped he would never had to hear again. The voice rang in his ears, surrounding him, caving him in as he felt the excruciating pain in his scar arise....... "he has been protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago when it fell to him to arrange the boys future. Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure the boys protection as long as he is in his relations care, not even I can touch him there.... The last sentence echoed in Harry's mind and he suddenly realized that he was shaking all over, sweaty and pale.  
  
Sirius lent over to him, worry creased all over his face.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong"?  
  
"Dumbledore put some ancient magic on the house, didn't he"? Harry asked shakily.  
  
"Well yes, but how did you find that out"? Remus questioned.  
  
"Voldemort told the Death Eaters when I was tied to his fathers' grave" Harry said shuddering at the flashback.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us"? Sirius asked.  
  
"I must have forgotten, I only just remembered". "How did you know" Harry asked, curious.  
  
"Dumbledore told us both the night your parents died. Dumbledore and I kept in contact often after I left school and we both exchanged opinions much more after Sirius was put into Azkaban" Remus explained.  
  
Sirius looked at his wrist watch and exclaimed, "Crud! Is that the time"!  
  
"I'm sorry Harry but we have to go" he said regretfully, "I wish we could spend more time with you, but the time always fly's so fast" He said looking at Harry still a bit worried.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright"?  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine" Harry said saddened.  
  
Remus took the silencing charm off the room and they both told him to be careful and to keep in touch before wishing him a happy birthday for when it came and apparating with a loud pop!  
  
Harry stood there, miserable for a moment at feeling all of a sudden, very lonely.  
  
He trudged quietly up the stairs to his bedroom, suddenly aware of how tired he was. He hoped to get at least half an hour of sleep, to rest his thought before he got woken up by the Dursley's.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Harry woke within what felt like 2 seconds to the loud screech of an owl at his window and then the booming of his uncle's voice telling him to shut it up!  
  
As Harry fumbled for his glasses on his bedside dresser he became aware of a piece of parchment that was being held down by his hand to his chest. He suddenly remembered the encounters of the night before and felt rather excited, despite his drowsiness as he reached for the silver chain that was still fastened around his neck.  
  
He stroked it lovingly once more before going over to the window and letting in a familiar looking owl and untying the letter that was attached to its leg.  
  
He opened the letter, half in a doze, trying to put last night's events in order properly.  
  
He started to read the letter and as he did his spirits rose dramatically.  
  
Dear Harry  
  
I hope your relatives aren't treating you too bad. I'm still really worried about you Harry, are you feeling any better?  
  
I wrote this letter to ask you if you would like to com to my house for the rest of the summer. Ron was actually the one to ask Dumbledore permission first for you to stay over at his house but Dumbledore suggested that you come over to my place as you-know-who would not suspect me as much as you usually go to the Weasley's for the summer. Just to be safe he also suggested that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley also come along so that you had wizarding protection. I know the way you're looking Harry and I know what you're thinking so just hear me out! I know you don't want to trouble the Weasley's about this but you DO need extra protection because of you-know- who being powerful again, plus they really wanted to come also, you know Mr. Weasley wouldn't stand up a chance to bombard my parents with bizarre questions about the muggle world!  
  
I don't know what your relatives will say if you ask them if you can come but you might want to try anyway.  
  
We will come and pick you up on the Monday of the last week by car, as not to freak your Aunty and Uncle out (we don't want them to have another reaction like they did when the Weasley's came to pick you up last summer).  
  
It's going to be really fun! Anyway, talk to your relatives and send me an answer back as soon as you can and tell me how you are!  
  
Be careful and stay safe, hope to see you soon.  
  
Love Hermione.  
  
A grin broadened across Harry's face and he felt very cheerful. He was a bit disappointed about have to wait until the last week but it was better then never.  
  
As he read over the letter a second time his Aunt came to the door and banged on it while screeching at him.  
  
"Harry Potter, get up, you've slept WAY too long"!  
  
He then jumped as there came a booming "NOW" from Uncle Vernon walking down the stairs.  
  
As he got up and trudged out of his room he tried to think of a simple approach as to how he would ask his Aunt and Uncle if he could go to Hermione's.  
  
He walked to the front door to pick up the mail, and as he did he noticed that the first letter he had picked up was from a Miss Marge Dursley. Harry grinned, knowing that there would be no way the Dursleys would want him around if Aunt Marge came to stay because of the incident she (or to the Durlsey's, Harry) had caused last visit.  
  
Luckily her memory had been modified and she could not remember a moment of her last stay, but, to Harry's disappointment, the Dursleys had. But now it was somewhat of a miracle that they had remembered as he now had even better chances of being able to go to Hermione's house.  
  
Harry strode into the kitchen, placing the letters onto the table, purposely putting the one from Aunt Marge on top.  
  
"Well what took you so long"? Uncle Vernon boomed, "I've been waiting for my coffee for ten minutes".  
  
Harry went to get the coffee while Uncle Vernon picked up the letter.  
  
Harry peeked around the kitchen bench to watch Uncle Vernon while he read the letter.  
  
His face went chalk white and as he handed the letter over to Aunt Petunia, hers did exactly the same.  
  
"What, what is it"? Dudley huffed.  
  
He wobbled over and snatched the letter out of his mother's hand, turning it this way and that, trying to read it.  
  
"Marge wants to come visit for the summer" Mr. Dursley whispered hoarsely looking at Harry.  
  
"But...but she can't, not with him here" Dudley said hopefully, pointing his pudgy finger at Harry.  
  
This was exactly the reaction that Harry had hoped for.  
  
"Well we can't just say no, Vernon, she'll get offended, and you know what Marge is like when she gets offended"! Aunt Petunia exclaimed.  
  
This was Harry's queue, to but in before they could even think of sending him to Mrs. Figg's house.  
  
"Errrm, I just got a letter from one of my friends, asking if I could come over of the last week of the holidays" Harry said, trying to act casual.  
  
Uncle Vernon looked at him skeptically.  
  
"Marge said she would come for the last 2 weeks".  
  
Harry looked very disappointed until he realized that his school holidays were shorter than the muggles.  
  
"Oh but our summer holidays are shorter, I go back to hog--- I mean school on September 1st" he stumbled.  
  
Harry felt like telling the Dursleys to give him a break, he had already gotten his punishment of re-decorating the whole lounge room because of last summers incident with the Wealsleys coming to pick him up.  
  
You could almost see the clock ticking in Uncle Vernon's head.  
  
Harry thought he needed a bit of convincing so he decided to go one step further.  
  
"Her parents are mugg---I mean normal, they don't do ma...." Harry trailed off, thinking it would have been better if he had of stayed quiet.  
  
Uncle Vernon did not react however, as he was too irritated and deep in thought.  
  
He looked up at Harry, studying his face.  
  
"They're not the same idiots who came last time"?  
  
Harry was infuriated at Uncle Vernon calling the Weasley's idiots but made sure he held his tongue, although he could feel his face burning up.  
  
"No, the Grangers are perfectly normal, they said they can come and pick me up on the Monday of the last week by car if it's ok with you" Harry said through gritted teeth.  
  
"None of that abnormal business"? Mr. Dursley questioned, though it sounded more like a warning.  
  
"None whatsoever" Harry said trying to sound convincing.  
  
Uncle Vernon thought hard for a moment longer and ended with a finale, gruff "fine then".  
  
A grin broadened across Harry's face and as much as he tried to hide it he just couldn't stop smiling.  
  
Mr. Dursley looked like he had just been passed up the chance to sell someone a million dollar car.  
  
"But you better work hard boy, you can start by cleaning up Dudley's room, then you can move onto the front garden, and I'm warning you, if you put one toe out of line you won't be going" Uncle Vernon said smugly.  
  
Harry pranced out of the room and up the stairs to Dudley's room feeling extremely bright.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The days seemed to go drearily slow until the day that Hermione came to 4 Privet Drive and the only thing that could keep Harry going was knowing that he was going to see his friends soon. Though he was very perplexed when an owl showed up with a letter from Ron saying that he would not be getting his presents for his birthday until he arrived at Hermione's, but it also made him curious as to what the present might be if it couldn't be sent by owl post.  
  
The day finally arrived when after 10 minutes of hopeful waiting a bright red Mercedes Benz pulled into the Dursley's driveway.  
  
Harry was overjoyed when a bushy haired girl with chocolate brown eyes got out of the car and looked around nervously. Harry through open the door and Hermione ran up to give him a hug.  
  
They stood there for a while beaming at each other before Mr. and Mrs. Granger came up to the door.  
  
"Mum, Dad, this is my best friend, Harry Potter" Hermione introduced.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Granger shook Harry's hand.  
  
"Pleased to meet you"  
  
Mr. Dursley came out of the house looking baffled, his piggy eyes were stuck on the car that was parked in his driveway. He couldn't believe it, a Mercedes Benz; this was the most respectable car he had ever seen! These people must be very high class to have a car like this he thought to himself. But no, don't think of them that way, they are just as bad as those abnormal freaks, they couldn't be trusted........but Harry said they weren't freaks, he said they were normal......no Vernon don't get sucked in, they associate with freaks! There daughter is a freak! His conscious kept playing with him. He finally decided that he would be respectful to them and act normally.  
  
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I'm Harry's uncle, call me Vernon, and this is my wife Petunia and my son Dudley" he introduced.  
  
Dudley was this time hiding behind his father, holding his hands over his mouth with his bulk poking out either side of Uncle Vernon.  
  
An expression on pure pity swept over Hermione's face as she looked at Dudley hiding behind Mr. Dursley.  
  
"Hi Dudley, My name is Hermione" she said slowly.  
  
Dudley gave a muffled hi before running into the house and into the kitchen, no doubt to the fridge.  
  
"I'm sorry, our son is a little shy" Aunt Petunia said in an unimaginably cheesy voice.  
  
"That's ok" said Mrs. Granger, "we deal with a lot of shy kids, being dentists every kid that walks into the surgery is already nervous" she laughed.  
  
Mr. Dursley was now even more engaged, they were dentists! What a highly respectable job! I must get in touch with them, invite them for dinner, do something! But at that very moment another little voice appeared into his head. No Vernon, don't do this, you will get all tangled up in this riff raff freak stuff, just like Petunia's sister did, and look where she ended. Don't say another word!  
  
"Well we best be going", said Mr. Granger, "it was nice meeting you".  
  
"Yes, yes, you too" said Uncle Vernon hurriedly.  
  
Harry dragged his trunk into the car and Hermione took Hedwig in her cage and put it in the back seat. They all got into the car and with a last sarcastic wave Harry was be ridded of 4 privet drive for a whole year!  
  
#######  
  
URGENT: I have now changed the title to A Shadow of Dreams.  
  
Ok, ok it was a bit of a cheesy ending to the chapter but hey, at least it's posted! Well anyway I hope you liked the chapter, I thought we needed a bit more humor in this one and I don't know why but I absolutely LOVE doing humorous stuff with Sirius and Remus. Well if you do like humorous stuff with Sirius and Remus make sure you read Dates, Pranks and Marauders by Hillary and Jess, it's really good! Well anyways I'll probably have the 6th chapter up before the 5th hp book comes out so I will start them off as in the 6th year when they get to Hogwarts, going on the guidelines of the 5th book (don't worry if you don't understand a word I just said, I'll explain it properly later!) 


	6. this is just a simple message

Everyone I'm really sorry I haven't updated but please hang in there with me! I am still reading the 5th HP book cos I have had to do all this stupid homework! So I promise as soon as I have read the rest of the book I will work out a plan for what I am going to do with the rest of my fic. Please hang tight, hope to update soon! Thanks.  
  
~*~mysticaldreams 


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